


Midas Touch (Your Touch)

by seventhTense



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pure Unadulterated Fluff, Two Boys on the Town Havin' A Good Ol' Time, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24420157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhTense/pseuds/seventhTense
Summary: One morning, Ahmes, wielder of the Blaster Blade, is called into his King's quarters out of the blue for a mysterious mission.One day, Alfred, King of the United Sanctuary, gives his dearest and most beloved companion one hell of a birthday.
Relationships: Ahmes/Alfred, Blaster Blade/King Alfred
Kudos: 4





	Midas Touch (Your Touch)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as a bday gift for my wonderful, beautiful, best-in-the-whole-world s/o! I love you sweetbeet, happy bday!!!!!
> 
> It's full of headcanons and silly shit that the two of us have established and made up over years of RPs, and is basically just my personal vision of what the world of Cray looks like, and how these characters act! It's very soft, and very sweet, and while it's written purely for the enjoyment of my s/o, if anyone else checks it out, I hope you like it too! 
> 
> For the record, while he's called Blaster Blade in the anime, that's just the name of his sword, I guess, and his real name (taken from a card of him as a young soldier in training) is Ahmes! 
> 
> (and for those who follow my work just for the P5 fics, dw, I'll only write more in the Vanguard world if my s/o asks me to, I'm forever a shuake boy at heart X}D)
> 
> Enjoy the boys! Happy bday darlin!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3

The Throne Room of the King of the Royal Paladins was magnificent, no matter how many times Ahmes saw it. Great silver columns held up the room’s vaulted ceiling, and balconies that looked over the whole of the Royal Paladin’s city lined either side. At the back, regal without being ostentatious, was King Alfred’s throne, where he sat and gave audience to the people of his nation, and (overly kind, in Ahmes’ opinion) judgment to their enemies.

Today, however, the room stood mostly empty. Ahmes had been awoken earlier that morning with a message from Alfred, slipped under his door at some point while he had been sleeping, telling him to come see Alfred in the Throne Room as soon as he could, with no other details. Ahmes looked around, trying to see if his King was anywhere to be found, but only saw a few nobles milling about, as well as what appeared to be Dream Painter fluttering around next to the throne itself.

Thinking that the young Sylph might have some idea as to Alfred’s whereabouts, Ahmes made his way over- only to be spotted halfway there. Dream Painter put his brush down and waved enthusiastically at Ahmes, who smiled and gave a gentle wave back at the ever-endearing artist. 

“His Highness told me he was expecting you,” Dream Painter explained as soon as Ahmes was within hearing distance. “He said he’d be waiting in the back- oh, uh, in his quarters, back here!” 

The Sylph fluttered over to a small hallway just behind the throne, leading to what Ahmes believed to be Alfred’s private quarters, or at least _one_ of the King’s private quarters. This one, if memory served, acted as more of a relaxation and preparation area for Alfred to gather his thoughts in before major appearances or diplomatic meetings. 

Curious, but with a grateful smile, Ahmes turned to Dream Painter. “My thanks, friend.” He nodded his gratitude, and headed down the hall.

With only a little of his old nervousness sparking up in the back of his head, Ahmes knocked on the door- or started to, interrupted halfway through the second knock by Alfred’s cheery voice calling “Come in!”

Ahmes smiled at how cheerful his friend and Lord sounded, then quickly buried the smile and his embarrassment at such a silly reaction before pushing the door open and entering.

The room inside was nice, if far more simple than the Throne Room before it. There were a few couches and tables scattered about, a simple bed in the back corner, wardrobes and bookshelves and at least one drinks cabinet lining the walls. Alfred was standing off to one side, closing up a small journal and stuffing some scattered papers inside it as Ahmes shut the door behind him and walked over.

“Good Morning, Ahmes,” Alfred beamed, smile as megawatt-bright as it always was when the King didn’t have to put on a serious face for meetings and battles and the like. Ahmes felt that same endeared smile pulling at the corners of his lips again, and opened his mouth to return the greeting, and hopefully disguise the warm feeling in his chest-

-but Alfred continued before he could speak. “And, might I add,” he began, his smile shifting into a sort of showman’s smirk, the kind cheery people like Alfred wore before doing something mischievous or surprising. Ahmes braced himself for whatever foolishness was about to befall him _this time._ “I would very much like to wish you an extraordinarily Happy Birthday!”

Ahmes blinked, then blinked again, then sputtered as nervousness and surprise and happiness started going to war in his heart. “I- but- how did you know, sire?”

Alfred rolled his eyes. “I’d make a pretty poor friend if I didn’t know your birthday, Ahmes- and please, just Alfred when it’s only us, remember?”

“A-ah, of course sir- uh, Alfred.” Ahmes was still getting used to how informal Alfred could be sometimes. “W-was that why you called me here this morning?”

Alfred’s tricksy smirk only grew, as did the worry churning in Ahmes’ stomach. “Part of the reason, yes. You see, I’ve prepared a little something to celebrate this most joyous of occasions- since we were far too preoccupied warding off the Shadow Paladin’s aggressions last year and all.”

“O-oh,” Ahmes stuttered, his heart sinking. He would enjoy anything his liege and friend prepared for him, of course, but honestly the last thing he wanted was something grandiose and overblown for what had typically always been a very private and simple day for him. “My thanks, Alfred-”

“Oh, don’t look so gloomy, I didn’t set up a Grand Ball or any nonsense like that,” Alfred assured him, and Ahmes was both relieved to hear that and deeply embarrassed that Alfred could read him so easily, apparently. “I simply set up some private, fun things for the two of us to do, things we don’t normally get to indulge in- special activities for a special day!”

Ahmes blinked a few times, confused but intrigued, and repeated, “...just the two of us?”

The smirk melted into a big, gentle smile again, and Alfred nodded. “I’m sure the others will plan some sort of party later, but today, I thought it might be nice for just the two of us to spend some time together. Is that alright with you?”

Ahmes nodded, unable to hold back his smile this time. “Of course.”

“Excellent,” Alfred returned the smile tenfold, then turned around and rummaged in the wardrobe next to him. “Right, first thing’s first- strip!”

_...what._ “...what?”

Alfred shot a teasing smirk over his shoulder. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Take off your armor and your bodysuit, Ahmes, it won’t do for the two of us to get recognized out there while we’re supposed to be relaxing.” He kept rummaging around inside the wardrobe for a few more moments before pulling out two outfits of similar design, one colored silver with pinkish flowers scattered about, the other a deep blue, with small lighter-blue stripes. The King handed Ahmes the silver one, then gestured to the other side of the room. “There’s a changing screen over there, if you’d prefer some privacy. And don’t be afraid to ask for help in getting these things on, I got them as a gift during one of my last visits to Nubatama territory, but they can be rather tricky to get together.”

Still flustered, Ahmes accepted the bundle of clothing and retreated behind the folding screen Alfred had gestured towards. He put his armor plating off to one side, but decided to keep his bodysuit on for the moment, too flustered to bare himself wholly under these strange clothes. The outfit was, as Alfred had predicted, kind of tricky to put on, but after a few minutes of experimentation and remembering a video on Nubatama finery and culture that Marron had showed him once, Ahmes managed to get the whole thing on and the fancy belt strapped around his waist without having to ask for help. Pride from his achievement bolstering his confidence, Ahmes stepped out from behind the screen, where Alfred had just finished tying his own yukata together.

The King took Ahmes in, eyes sparkling, and he felt his cheeks grow flushed with embarrassment at how purely happy Alfred looked just from looking at him. Ahmes looked off to the side, but only for a moment, as Alfred quickly took his hand and led him out a door towards the back of the room without another word.

It took several minutes for them to reach one of the Palace’s back exits, down twisting corridors and hidden doorways, but eventually they emerged on a garden path that led towards one of United Sanctuary’s busiest areas.

“...where are we headed?” Ahmes asked curiously, as Alfred led him towards the bustling thoroughfare, the King’s strong, calloused hand still holding his smaller, sweatier one. Ahmes was trying not to think about that part. 

Alfred shot him a smile over his shoulder, and tugged him along. “Our first stop is one of the great meccas of the Royal Paladin’s great city, the home of the building blocks of our people’s dreams!”

Intrigued and amused by Alfred’s theatrics, Ahmes followed...

...only to be met a handful of minutes later with a massive, multi-story, open-air building.

“...our first stop is... a mall?” Ahmes asked, a little confused.

Alfred shot him that beaming smile again. “Not just _any_ mall, Ahmes, this is the Grand Soul Royal Mall, the greatest and grandest temple to the United Sanctuary’s international mishmash of cultures for miles around!” He tugged at Ahmes’ hand again, leading him towards the shopping center. “There are stores here with goods from every corner of Cray, from the fanciest wares to the newest, coolest games and back again- all, of course, my treat.”

“Fascinating... wait, what?!” Ahmes chirped as the last part of Alfred’s introduction finally processed. “What do you mean, your treat?”

Another smirky smile. “I mean exactly what I said. Anything you see here that catches your fancy, simply say the word and it is yours to keep- and I do mean anything. I am the K- well,” He lowered his voice, leaned down to talk a little more quietly into Ahmes’ ear, since people were starting to stare. “Considering my position, there isn’t really a budgetary concern, you know.”

“...I suppose...” Ahmes hemmed, nervously looking around. There were dozens of shops in here, some of which definitely fell within his range of tastes, but... well, as generous as Alfred was being, and as reasonable his argument in regards to his relatively limitless supply of money was, Ahmes still didn’t feel comfortable spending large amounts of someone else’s money on something as simple as his idle wants. Heck, he didn’t feel comfortable spending his own, most days. Perhaps he’d just... limit himself to some of the simpler, but still cool things he saw, just avoid the more expensive items. That would probably be fine.

For a while, the two of them browsed through a handful of odd shops, Alfred’s seemingly boundless supply of energy drawing him towards whatever looked interesting, looked new, different from what the two of them saw all the time in the Palace. They browsed cookware shops, shops full of Gallows Ball and Bermuda merch, artisinal boutiques with intricately carved woodwork from Neo Nectar and bookshops full of tomes both academic and fantastical from Great Nature. 

Eventually, Alfred’s curiosity led them to something more familiar, but no less interesting to Ahmes; a sword shop, and not just any sword shop, the mall’s branch of the most world-renown smithy in all of the United Sanctuary. Ahmes felt like a kid in a candy store as he took in their wares, swords as delicate as they were deadly and swords that were just so expertly crafted that Ahmes’ trained swordsman’s instinct could _sense_ how sharp they’d be even through the glass of the cabinet they were in.

Alfred had started up a conversation with the shopkeeper while Ahmes was looking around, and while he still wanted to explore what the shop held, he felt a little uncomfortable doing so all by himself on a day that Alfred had wanted to be specifically for the two of them. Ahmes started heading back towards his King’s side-

-when he froze mid-step, as he caught sight of something in the display cabinet closest to the register. A massive set of whetstones of varying grades and sizes was splayed out on velvet cloth, the kind of set that would easily set someone back a cool thousand at least, but that Ahmes had been dreaming of having since he was a child. 

He had always had a passion for blades, ever since Ahmes was a small, sickly kid barely able to run around his parents’ yard for more than a few minutes before needing to sit down and catch his breath. When he had the energy, he’d playfight about with sticks and tree branches, and when he didn’t, he’d lay on the grass or in his bed and imagine himself as one of King Ezzell’s great Knights, master of a thousand different blades, cutting through legions of dastardly Shadow Paladins and spooky Dark Irregulars.

In a sense, he had achieved that dream, against all odds, but at the same time... Ahmes would never for a moment regret becoming the bearer of the Blaster Blade, nor would he ever regret his choice to stay by Alfred’s side even when the other Blaster weilders had abandoned them for the easy power and seductive promises Blasteed made them. Still, the Blaster Blade was a highly technical piece of equipment, one that required an entire laboratory to maintain and repair it between battles, now that its creator had betrayed them. 

All of which was to say that Ahmes’ silly, childishly romantic dreams of sitting in the grass after a battle and running a whetstone over the edges of his blade to re-hone its edge and prepare for the next day were one of the few he hadn’t been able to realize. A part of him idly dreamed every so often of compiling a vast collection of different types of swords, of all kinds of metals and all kinds of edges, imagining what kinds of polishing tools they’d need and how fascinating it’d be to compare a shortsword’s heft to a scimitar’s balance, and so on.

Ahmes blinked, and time unfroze, and he pushed down all the thoughts and memories that had rushed up in the half-second he had paused for. Such dreams were little more than that; dreams, and absurd ones at that. He was already a Knight of the Royal Paladins, and counted the King himself among his closest friends and allies. Wanting anything more than that...

As he reached Alfred’s side, Ahmes shoved his thoughts the rest of the way down and focused on what his King was saying. “...always admired the fine work you all have been doing. Please pass my regards to those at the main Forges.”

“Of course, sir,” the clerk smiled, bowing their head politely, but not deferentially at Alfred. He must have managed to keep his identity secret still, somehow. They turned the same smile to Ahmes, who gave them a polite nod. “And will the two of you be wanting to purchase anything today?”

Alfred looked over at Ahmes, who smiled reassuringly and shook his head, as he had been doing for most of the shops they had passed through thus far. Alfred nodded, and turned back to the clerk.

“We’ll take that whetstone set- this one right over by the register, yes.”

Ahmes’ eyes darted over to Alfred, wide and shocked, though anything he would have tried to say, any efforts he would have made to try and change Alfred’s mind were silenced by the warm, if slightly chiding look the King was giving him. In a low voice, so the clerk couldn’t hear as they retrieved an unopened box of whetstones from the backroom, Alfred spoke, “I’ve noticed how much you’ve been holding yourself back while we’ve been looking around, Ahmes. That really won’t do.”

His face felt flushed and blazing hot, and Ahmes swallowed dryly before trying to speak up. “S-sir- er, Alfred, I-”

Alfred raised a hand, and Ahmes quieted, holding in a flustered, embarrassed noise that wanted to escape his chest. “Your humble nature and inherent modesty have always served you well, Ahmes, and are qualities very suitable for a Knight...”

The King’s smile softened further, and his hand moved to rest on Ahmes’ shoulder, gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “But I didn’t ask my _Knight_ out today to celebrate. I asked my dear friend, a man who cares so dearly for those around him and spares far too little of that same attention and affection for himself. _Be selfish,_ Ahmes, let yourself want what your heart sings for- this is your day, after all! If one can’t ‘let loose,’ as they say, on their birthday of all things, when can one?”

Alfred spoke with such honesty and earnestness, beamed with so much sun-like radiance that Ahmes couldn’t stop himself from flusterdly smiling in return. After a few more moments of hesitation, he nodded. “I... I shall try, Alfred. Such... liberties do not come easily to me, however-”

“Well then, I shall simply have to help you out a little with that, eh?” Alfred grinned, and while happiness was blooming throughout Ahmes’ heart at all the kindness he was being shown, there was a bud of nervousness there too. Alfred’s ‘help’ was always welcome and always came from his heart, but... well. The man was always more of a brute-force-type than a surgical-touch-type, regardless of what he was trying to do.

That particular quirk of Alfred’s personality was proven several times over through the next couple of hours, as he more or less bought out anything and everything that even briefly caught Ahmes’ eye in the couple dozen or so stores they ended up in. By the time they were done with the mall as a whole, Alfred had to arrange for several dozen boxes of things he had bought for himself and Ahmes both to be delivered to an oblique address, where they’d be forwarded to their respective quarters at the Palace later. They kept a few things with them, some snacks and drinks and reading materiel to browse through during any sort of transportation they’d have to take to whatever other madcap destinations Alfred had in mind for the day- just enough to carry in the pockets of their yukata, and then they were off yet again, climbing in a taxi that rocketed away from the mall, deeper into the city.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Ahmes had expected Alfred to bring him to yet another towering, bustling part of town, maybe a museum or a grand theater or something of the sort. He had always been a bombastic kind of guy, and from their first stop at the biggest mall in the capital city, Ahmes got the feeling that Alfred’s plans would all carry that same energy.

What he didn’t expect was for their taxi to drop the two of them off at a large, squat, single-story building in the middle of a vaguely middle-class area that Ahmes couldn’t pick out on a map if he tried. The building itself was definitely more modest than the ostentatious mall from before, though it wasn’t boring by any means; the whole thing was painted in a deep, almost shimmering blue, and a trio of bright neon stripes wrapped around the the top of it, with a large, glowing sign hanging right above the front doors that said something in a slanted, almost chicken-scratch kind of cursive font that Ahmes couldn’t make heads or tails of.

By the time Ahmes had looked around to gain his bearings a little, Alfred had already made his way to the front door, and held it open for Ahmes as he went to join the King. A wash of cool air, electronic music, and a vibrant cacophony of bloops and bleeps and musical trills washed over Ahmes as he stepped inside...

He stood, eyes wide and sparkling as he took in the massive Arcade he found himself in. There were cabinets and game tables and cutting-edge technology of all sorts as far as he could see, clusters of people of all ages and species moving from game to game around him. 

Ahmes would never call himself a ‘gamer,’ but he had absolutely always held a deep fascination with modern technology of the day, considering how distantly out-of-reach that sort of thing was for his modest working-class family. He could feel excitement and electric curiosity starting to pulse through him as he spun around to see an absolutely beaming Alfred standing next to him, clearly pleased as punch at Ahmes’ reaction to their second spot.

“Go on, take a look at whatever you- agh!” Alfred was cut off mid-sweeping-gesture as Ahmes let his instincts take over for just a second and hugged Alfred, quick and tight, then let him go just a few seconds later. He grabbed Alfred’s hand, letting himself sink back into his excitement before his nerves could take over again, and rushed off into the jungle of technology and games before him, dragging Alfred along by the hand.

Alfred was not very good at the games- well, to be fair, neither of them were very good at the games, but that wasn’t remotely the point. Blasting away at the light-gun games, bumping into each other with VR helmets on, whacking air hockey pucks off the table and nearly breaking the buttons on the pinball machines, and all throughout the only thing that ranked louder than the arcade’s endless series of noises were Alfred and Ahmes’ laughter. When they got so focused on trying to score so much as a C Rank on a dancing game, Alfred leapt a hair too far in a vain attempt to stomp on one of the buttons and tumbled off the platform. Ahmes froze for a second, for two, before Alfred poked his head up, blinking up at Ahmes with swirling eyes, and they both burst into helpless, almost manic giggles at the same time.

The hours passed faster than either of them expected, but by the time the two of them stumbled out of the Arcade to call for their next taxi, Ahmes could barely feel his legs- hell, could barely feel his lungs from how much he had laughed, more than he could remember laughing in years. It was a perfect day. This was a _perfect_ day.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It was less perfect when the taxi Alfred called ended up driving right by them- one of the small prices to pay for disguising themselves as normal people (and for getting so over-excited in the Arcade that their yukata were all askew and sweat-stained now).

This didn’t dissuade Alfred in the slightest, though, and as Ahmes perhaps should have expected, the King had backup plans on top of backup plans ready for just such an eventuality. So, instead of wherever Alfred had planned to go next, he took Ahmes’ hand and led him further into the city- then changed direction a few blocks away when both of their stomachs rumbled at almost the exact same time, and, chuckling, led them towards somewhere to eat nearby.

The restaurant they settled on wasn’t anything fancy or big- if anything, it felt more like one of the small-town, family-owned restaurants that Ahmes’ parents used to bring him to on special occasions. What made this place stand out, though, was that as far as Ahmes could tell, almost every member of the staff was from a different part of the planet. Sylphs and Mermaids and Bioroids shuffled about bringing trays of food to the hungry diners, and through the small window into the kitchen in the back of the place, Ahmes thought he could see a spectral figure all in robes that looked right out of the Dark Irregulars dashing about, and a figure wrapped from head-to-toe in pure-white, clean-as-the-sun bandages, chopping vegetables with the shaky, stuttering movements that Ahmes remembered seeing from Granblue’s undead sailors.

Alfred nudged Ahmes lightly with his elbow, and he blushed, embarrassed that he had been so blatantly staring. The Battleroid Hostess gave him a patient smile though, apparently very accustomed to this sort of surprise, and led the two of them to an open table near the back.

“Quite the interesting place, isn’t it?” Alfred grinned as they took their seats. Ahmes smiled in spite of his still-lingering embarrassment and nodded as the both of them opened their menus. As perhaps he should have expected, the cuisine here was as varied as its waitstaff, dishes from all over Cray sectioned off through the menu’s pages. 

Ahmes was lost in the middle of the menu’s spread, peering at the description of a strange Pale Moon dish that sounded like it was made from some sort of edible smoke when their waitress arrived. Ahmes made to smile apologetically at her, to ask for more time to consider-

-but Alfred beat him to it again. He plopped down his menu and said with a big, almost innocent grin “We’ll have one of everything, please!”

Ahmes sputtered and gaped at the King. “Wh- Alfred, we can’t, that’s-”

Alfred chuckled, leaning forwards to pat Ahmes on the arm. “I’m joking, Ahmes, relax. Well,” he cocked his head to the side, expression getting a little mischievous again. “Mostly joking, at least. Here, I’ve picked two dishes from each of the different varieties of cuisine you serve here, if we could get those served in order...”

He gestured at the menu to the waitress and murmured some additional requests, and she nodded and smiled and took the appropriate notes before floating away. Ahmes was certain that Alfred was still joking, he had to be, that was an absurd amount of food to even consider eating...

...but the first dishes arrived, and Ahmes had to admit that, once again, he had underestimated both the wit and the gall of his King. Compared to the dishes at the tables around them, Alfred had clearly ordered half-portions of each dish, and once they were about halfway done, swapped the plates, so that they could each get a taste. Ahmes was only just starting to get full on the sixth or so course, which was absurd for how much food he had eaten so far, but somehow Alfred must have planned the meal out carefully enough so that neither of them would reach their limit til the end (and it didn’t hurt that they had both clearly expended way more energy than they expected at the cafe and were pretty damn starving by the time they had gotten here).

They tried fish stews and seaweed salads, unrecognizable yet shockingly tasty things stuffed inside bones, clouds of _something_ that hovered above their plates and more types of vegetables and fruit than Ahmes had ever seen in his life. His favorite by far was a platter of shockingly delicious fried snack foods that apparently originated from Aqua Force of all places, whereas Alfred’s eyes sparkled with child-like joy as he dug into a bowl of exotic veggies and savory rice that claimed to be the signature dish of Western Megacolony.

Ahmes was full to bursting by the time they were done, but not unpleasantly so. As the lingering sweetness of some Bermuda idol’s favorite cheesecake lingered on his tongue, Ahmes mostly just felt _sated_ , in a deep, thoroughly satisfying way that he hadn’t felt in some time. Across the table, Alfred was leaning back in his chair, both hands cradling his stomach, looking almost comically bloated for a man as fit as Ahmes knew Alfred to be. He couldn’t help but giggle a little at the image, and Alfred pouted slightly, nudged his shoes against Ahmes’ ankles in a half-hearted kick.

They rested there for a while longer, the staff bringing them teas and little digestion-assisting candies while they waited for their bodies to recover. Eventually, with hearty thanks to the staff and promises to come back soon that Ahmes had every intention of following up on, they walked out into the early evening air.

“Mmm, that was wonderful,” Alfred hummed, arm casually tossed around Ahmes’ shoulder, a sign that he was relaxed and satisfied enough to be so blatant with his casual affection. For his part, Ahmes felt pretty much the same way, content for now to relax and revel in Alfred’s warmth. “Took a bit longer than I thought, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t worth it.”

“Mmmmmm...” Ahmes agreed. Alfred started to pull out his phone again, looking ready to call another cab, but let out a frustrated little “Bah,” and shoved it back in his yukata, turning instead to head off down the street.

“Where to next?” Ahmes asked, mind still bleary from all the good food, his voice soft and innocent.

“Train, I think,” Alfred mumbled, looking around at the street signs. “Assuming I can remember where the station is. After that... mm, after that, you’ll see.”

Ahmes couldn’t help but snicker a little at how out of it they both sounded, but was content for the moment to leave things up to his beloved leader, wherever that might lead them.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It took about an hour or so for them to reach their next destination- or rather their last one, Ahmes assumed, considering how dark out it had gotten during their train ride. There was still a hint of sunlight in the sky, just enough to turn everything a dusky mauve, and of course in a city like the United Sanctuary’s capital, it was never _truly_ dark out. But still, it was late, and birthday celebrations or not, both Alfred and Ahmes would have to get up pretty early come the morning.

Alfred’s arm wasn’t wrapped around Ahmes’ shoulders any more (and Ahmes chided himself for how strongly he missed its comforting weight), the King instead walking at a relaxed pace by Ahmes’ side as they headed out through the maze of streets leading away from the subway station. Thankfully, the post-feast drowsiness had faded by now too, so Ahmes was easily able to keep up.

“May I ask where we are headed?” Ahmes piped up, after a few minutes of silence- not uncomfortable silence, not asking to break it, just honest curiosity borne from the warm aura of companionship around them.

Alfred smiled. “You’ll see in a second, we’re almost there.”

And so they were. Around the next corner, Ahmes could see the street open up, the buildings around them getting squatter and more spaced out, with the wooden docks and the gently rocking waves of the bay visible just a few blocks away. Ahmes’ curiosity was both sated and piqued at the same time, and he followed Alfred’s lead towards the water.

Their path ended at the docks themselves, a few piers open to the public to mill about on and stare at the ocean from. They stopped at the far edge of one of the less populated ones, and Alfred moved to rest his arms against the metal railing around the pier’s edge, staring out idly at the lapping waves. Ahmes joined him, mirroring the same pose, still wondering why Alfred had chosen this place as their last stop, of all things.

A few minutes later, he started to get a feeling as to why. The day had been fun, so much, constant fun that Ahmes had never gotten to experience before, but from the crowds at the Mall and in the restaurant to the cacophony of the Arcade and the general bustle of the city itself, it had been so busy too. So loud. Here, with all the tourists and strollers gone for the day, with only Alfred and the gulls and fish around them, it was quiet, truly quiet; peaceful and soothing in a way even the Palace never was.

“So,” Alfred started, tone calm and soothing. Ahmes looked over, and couldn’t help but blush a little at how warmly Alfred was looking at him. “Did you enjoy your birthday, Ahmes?”

He didn’t have to think about it. “Yes,” Ahmes nodded, smiling widely. “The best I have ever had, frankly... I can’t remember ever feeling this... warm before, in my heart.”

He blushed as he said the last part, but Alfred just chuckled and reached over to squeeze his arm. “Good.” He squeezed it again, but didn’t move his hand away, just let it rest on Ahmes’ upper arm, his thumb stroking across the fabric of his yukata in a way that would have made Ahmes shiver if he didn’t have better self control than that. “Good.”

A few seconds passed, Alfred staring into Ahmes’ eyes with that smile on his face, something playing out in his eyes, something Ahmes’ couldn’t decipher, until the King let out a small, almost inaudible sigh. “I realize how boorish this may be, but... I hope you don’t mind me being a little selfish, Ahmes, at the end of all this today.”

Ahmes cocked his head to the side a little, that nervousness from earlier burbling back to life in his gut. “Alfred?”

The King of the Royal Paladins smiled, almost apologetically, and turned to face Ahmes’ fully, Ahmes matching his stance on instinct. Alfred’s other hand came up to rest on the same spot on Ahmes’ other arm, and when Alfred spoke, his tone was uncertain, a little nervous, different than Ahmes had ever heard it before. “I... have a confession, Ahmes. I did not ask you out on these adventures today because... well, because you are my friend, or my confidant, or anything like that...”

Ahmes’ heart sank. He... he had wondered, worried, feared that for the longest time, that their bond was only a kindness that the King was performing for Ahmes’ sake, that he didn’t-

“I asked to spend this day with you, Ahmes,” Alfred continued, and when had he gotten so _close_ , their chests were almost _pressed up against each other, wh-_ “Because...”

Alfred swallowed, loud and dry enough for Ahmes to hear, and his hand moved from Ahmes’ arm to his cheek, and he took a ragged breath, and he was close, _so close now-_

“...because I love you.” Alfred’s lips pressed to his, and Ahmes’ brain short-circuited, rebooted, kicked into high-gear, his senses returning just in time to feel the softness of Alfred’s lips and the warmth of his skin start to move back, move away-

If Alfred could be selfish, then... just this once, Ahmes could too.

Fast as he would swing the Blaster Blade, Ahmes’ hands moved up to grab the collar of Alfred’s yukata, to bury his fingers in Alfred’s long, long hair, and pull him in again, kissing back, kissing rougher, kissing more desperately, kissing his King as a thousand thousand repressed feelings and thoughts and desires and wants sprung back up out of the box Ahmes had been locking them away in for so long now, because he didn’t have to any more, because he was kissing Alfred, and Alfred was kissing him back, and-

Alfred broke the kiss all of a sudden, and Ahmes had a fraction of a second to worry like hell that he had done something wrong before he realized that the King was simply coming up for air, gulping down breaths like he had just finished a battle. Ahmes blushed, hot and bright, and pulled himself to Alfred this time, burying his face in the crook of Alfred’s neck.

“I... I love you too, Alfred,” he whispered, hoping that it was loud enough for the King to hear. “I have for so long now... more than any war, any struggle, any clash with the Shadow Paladins, hiding my feelings for you has been the most difficult part of my service to you.”

Alfred chuckled, his voice rough from the kiss and rueful from the past. “Same here, if I’m honest. But... we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He shifted his stance, and Ahmes moved away, just far enough to share in the slowly-dawning relief mirrored in both their eyes. “You... I don’t want you to serve under me any longer, Ahmes.” _Oh god, oh n-_ “I want us to be as _equals_ , serving our people together, side by side...” His hand dropped to squeeze Ahmes’, lace their fingers together. “Hand in hand.”

Ahmes blushed, laughed a little. “You really do need to work on your phrasing, Alfred. That’s the second heart attack you’ve nearly given me in the last two minutes alone.” Alfred had the decency to look embarrassed at that, and Ahmes laughed again. “But... yes. I would like that- to serve as equals, I would like that very much indeed.”

Alfred’s smile turned megawatt again, and Ahmes felt his own do the same, and as one, they moved in to kiss again.

Nothing could top the exhilaration and perfectness of their first kiss, but the second (and, Ahmes wagered, every kiss that would come after) came pretty damn close. Their arms wrapped tightly around each other, lips moving in tandem against each other, it was as if they were melting together, a soothing, beautiful light wrapping around them and drawing them together, moving truly as one...

It was strange, but slowly, Ahmes realized that his lips weren’t touching anything anymore. He blinked open his eyes, feeling... different. Not bad, not wrong, but very, very _different_.

His height was the first clue that something had happened, standing easily twice as high over the warf’s railings as he had before. Then the weight of his hair, long and flowing all of a sudden, and that light, the warmth and radiance that had surrounded him in Alfred’s embrace still wrapped around him now, but deeper, embracing his heart and his soul and every atom of his being-

-wait. Alfred. Where was Alfred. Where-

“A-” He opened his mouth to call out Alfred’s name, but only got as far as the first syllable before his throat clenched up from trying to move in two different directions at once, and inside his mind, two echo-like thoughts rang out.

_“Alfred!”_

_“Ahmes!”_

Ahmes blinked, or rather, Alfred blinked, or rather they both did, or rather whoever they were now, together, did, and they took a hesitant, shaking step, and all the strength seemed to sap away from their body as they did-

-a flare of light, and Ahmes found himself collapsed in a heap on top of Alfred, his heartbeat almost as loud as the roar of the waves around them. He blinked several times, to clear the remaining over-exposed, dazzled light out of his eyes, then looked down at Alfred, who looked just as confused as he felt.

A beat, and they both broke out in overwhelmed, helpless laughter, the whole of this absurd, wonderful, unimaginable day rolling over them like the ocean. 

It took them a while to gather themselves again, to get to their shaking, unsteady legs, but they had each other to hold on to, so it wasn’t too difficult. “I.. hah, I suppose we ought to tell Marron about this when we get back home,” Alfred chuckled.

Ahmes smiled, “Definitely,” he agreed. “...though, perhaps it can wait until the morning. I’d wager the Sage already has quite the lecture already planned for us for sneaking out of the castle.”

“Oof,” Alfred grunted, imagining it. “You’re... very probably right. Tomorrow, then. Tonight... well, would you be opposed to staying in my chambers? F-for cuddling, of course, nothing, uh...”   
Ahmes couldn’t help but laugh at how childish and nervous Alfred suddenly sounded, and took his King’s- no, his lover’s hand again. “Of course. I would have it no other way, Alfred.”

Ahmes leaned over and, with only a slight twinge of nervous flutters in his stomach, placed a small, soft kiss on Alfred’s cheek, a bright blush blooming forth from where his lips landed. Alfred squeezed Ahmes’ hand and huffily kissed his forehead as a response.

His heart both light and full _of_ light, Ahmes laughed bright and airy, and hand in hand with Alfred started off back home.

**Author's Note:**

> I wonder who that was they fused into.... hmm........
> 
> X}DDDDDDD


End file.
